während

\ˈvɛː.ʁənt\

/\ˈvɛː.ʁənt\/ conj

The verdict

“während” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a conjunction. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Exprime une durée ou un moment, une période : pendant que, alors que.

Corpus desk

Index FR-wahrend · während · French

während · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "W" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for während
PropertyValue
Headwordwährend
LanguageFrench
Part of speechConjunction
IPA\ˈvɛː.ʁənt\
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « während » en français

währendsiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

während is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as aconjunction, transcribed \ˈvɛː.ʁənt\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for während, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is während, spelled W-Ä-H-R-E-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Exprime une durée ou un moment, une période : pendant que, alors que.
  2. 2
    Tandis que, alors que, exprime la contradiction, le contraste.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how während appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Während die Nacht kam, lag sie in seinen Armen.
  2. Während die Frauen schlafen.

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "während"?
"während" is spelled W-Ä-H-R-E-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈvɛː.ʁənt\.
What does "während" mean?
As a conjunction, "während" means: Exprime une durée ou un moment, une période : pendant que, alors que.
How do you pronounce "während"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "während" is \ˈvɛː.ʁənt\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "während" come from?
"während" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list